Hydrocarbon-producing wells are often stimulated by undertaking one or more hydraulic fracturing operations, which generally include injecting a fracturing fluid into a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore at pressures sufficient to create or enhance at least one fracture therein. One of the purposes of the fracturing process is to increase formation conductivity so that the greatest possible quantity of hydrocarbons from the formation can be extracted/produced into the penetrating wellbore.
In some wells, fractures are selectively created along the wellbore at predetermined separation distances to generate “pay zones” from which hydrocarbons can be intelligently produced into a downhole completion assembly arranged in the wellbore. The completion assembly is operatively coupled to production tubing, which provides a conduit to convey produced hydrocarbons to the well surface for collection. A series of actuatable flow control assemblies are typically included in the downhole completion assembly to separate or isolate the various pay zones for intelligent production. Such flow control assemblies frequently include movable isolation devices, such as sliding sleeves or sliding side doors. Axially shifting these isolation devices allows a well operator to regulate hydrocarbon production through the flow control assembly and into the production tubing at that particular location. Actuating an isolation device in one axial direction, for instance, exposes one or more flow ports that facilitate the influx of fluids into the production tubing. Actuating the isolation device in the opposing axial direction occludes the flow ports and thereby stops the influx of fluids.
In other downhole applications, similar movable isolation devices can alternatively be used as a circulating sleeve above wellbore packer. Such applications include use in a conventional well without hydraulic fracturing.